Conservation challenges of Manas Tiger reserve: political unrest and community attitude

India is no exception with many forested areas, including protected areas, experiencing conflicts of varying intensity owing to numerous complicated issues ranging from cultural identity to socio-political and environmental security. Such conflicts not only act as a major impediment to scientific monitoring, protection and management in the biodiversity-rich areas, but also lead to abuse of wildlife and natural areas by conflict parties and opportunistic elements in the absence of adequate protection and monitoring forces (Goswami, 2011). The story of Manas Tiger Reserve is also coinciding with the cases of resource conflict and socio-political disturbance of rest of the country. However, the initiation of community protection groups and their sudden crisis turn the whole conservation and coexistence mechanism to a different angle. This ultimately damages the sustenance of the reserve. The present paper tried to pull up the cause and socio-political interest grown up around the park in last few years after the new BTC administration came in operation.